1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the repair of minor dents or "dings" in the sheet metal of vehicles, and more particularly to tools which can be effectively used in the art of so-called paintless dent repair, i.e. , a specialized technique of metalworking that repairs small dents without painting.
2. The Prior Art
In vehicles, such as automobiles, the sheet metal becomes dented for a number of reasons; other auto doors being opened in parking lots and hitting the adjacent automobile, or truck, shopping carts rolling into the vehicle, hail damage from weather storms, and numerous other accidents and occurrences that happen in the life of every vehicle owner/operator.
Heretofore, the art of repairing such small dents or "dings", as they are sometimes referred to, has taken several forms. For example, in one widely practiced technique, the area of the ding is sanded or otherwise abraded to bare the sheet metal, whereupon a filler material such as a substance known commercially as BONDO, or an equivalent material, is used to fill the dent. The area of the dent is then smoothed by grinding or sanding or rubbing and polishing until the damaged area is level, or even with its surrounding sheet metal. The entire area is then re-painted to restore its original appearance.
In the art of so-called paintless dent repair, there has been provided heretofore tools which have a working end which can be manipulated by the user to press the damaged area and force the bent metal to its restored position of alignment with its original surrounding area. However, since most dings occur in the sheet metal of doors, and/or vehicular body portions which are relatively inaccessible, or, at least not readily observable with the unaided eye, it is necessary to provide a pointer which will designate the location of the hidden working end of the tool so that the restorative forces will apply force in the proper location. Thus, in order to target the working end of the tool, a mechanical pointer is provided and is constructed to be disposed in registered alignment with the working end. The mechanical pointer, of course, is situated so that it can be readily observed by the user and can be so positioned that the user is given reasonable assurance that the working end of the tool is lined up immediately opposite the pointer on the other side of the damaged sheet metal.
For many reasons which will be explained in the disclosure of my invention hereinafter, prior art tools have proved inadequate for use by a wide variety of users of highly varying skills and abilities. The intensity of the light, the lack of intuitive skills by different users and operators, the variations in the thickness of the sheet metal makes the proper positioning of the working end absolutely of critical importance.